


Lost

by bxxpbxxprichie



Category: IT, IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Bad Puns, Fluff, Harassment, Homelessness, M/M, Multi, Prostitution, Reddie, Sadness, Smoking, Stenbrough, Weed, bad language, richie's trashmouth, ummm - Freeform, ya know i dont know what im doing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-01-26 03:38:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12547972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bxxpbxxprichie/pseuds/bxxpbxxprichie
Summary: Richie Tozier is struggling with something. Something he’d never thought he’d have to struggle with. Sure, his parents can be pretty shitty, but he never thought it would come to this. It’s now been about a month since Richie has been kicked out of his house. He has made do with sleeping in his truck, and passing out on nights that all the losers are together, but things are becoming more dire. With what was left of his money stash gone, Richie is forced to make a living by prostitution. There’s also something going on with Eddie. Eddie Kaspbrak, mommy’s boy and pill expert has been put on a new pill. This time, it was of his own doing, and not his mothers. What it’s for, no one knows.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Pairings : Eventual Reddie with hints of Stenbrough and mentions of Bikeverly (Ben/Mike/Bev)
> 
> Warnings : Slight noncon, prostitution, homelessness, bad language, and over all Richie’s trash mouth.
> 
> AN : Ayyyeee! This is the first time I’m posting a fanfic on Ao3, but it’s also the first IT anything I’m posting. Keep in mind that all of the characters are 18/19 at this time, and in their senior year of high school. There will be eventual smut, but how in depth I haven’t decided. The characters in no way have any relation to the child actors that have portrayed them. IT does not belong to me, however if it had I would’ve changed a lot of things in the book. This work has been posted on Tumblr.

_Word Count : 2010_

“That’s good… So good…”

Richie kept his eyes closed, his mouth being assaulted roughly. His throat hurt, tears welled in the corner of his eyes.

“What a good boy you are.”

He couldn’t believe he was in this situation. Just past eighteen and on his knees in a seedy gas station bathroom for money.

“You’re too good at this-”

The strangled moan from the man flushed down Richie’s own throat, hot liquid being forced into his wet cavern, making him sputter around the pulsing body part.

It’s not like Richie opposed to having dicks down his throat. It was rather that this wasn’t the dick he wanted down his throat.

Of course, he knew the man. Derry was a small town. Mr. Pickles used to be the gym teacher at the elementary school, that thought alone made him queasy.

The older male handed over the money, before shuffling out of the bathroom and leaving Richie to his thoughts as he stuffed the twenty into his pocket and stood from the floor.

He felt dirty. But it wasn’t like it was the first time he’d done this.

Richie crossed to the sink, and turned on the faucet, saliva building up in his mouth as he refused to swallow what wasn’t forced down his throat. He spit a few times, before leaning his head in and capturing mouthfuls of water, trying to flush the taste from his system.

After righting himself enough, Richie headed into the gas station to pay for a few dollars in gas, and headed to school.

* * *

There were barely any cars in the parking lot once he got there, something that was good. Richie climbed into the back of his truck, and lifted the seats. Concealed beneath the seats were two plastic tubs. One filled with clothes, and the other sparingly filled with food items, a blanket and pillow, and bathroom things.

Richie gathered what he needed to shower and change, shoved it into his backpack, and headed towards the gym. It was easy access into the building, as they still hadn’t fixed the lock on one of the doors. He strode through the basketball court, and into the boy’s locker room. He dropped his bag on a bench, and began ridding himself of clothes and glasses.

He turned on one of the shower heads, and moved back to his bag to pull out his soap. It was cheap, but at least he was clean. He took a deep breath before stepping under the icy spray, teeth chattering almost instantly. His curls matted together, flattening against his head. He grabbed for what he hoped was his shampoo and started lathering his hair, just as the door to the locker room opened.

“In here again, R-rich?”

Richie hated more than anything to lie to his friends, but they didn’t need to know he didn’t have a place to stay. It wasn’t their problem, it was his.

“Yeah, Big Bill. Got into a fight with my dad this morning and left before getting a chance to shower.” It was the excuse he used pretty much every time Bill found him in here, but the other didn’t question him much. It wasn’t like he had the best track record with his parents.

“S-Sorry about that. What happened t-this time?” Bill had gotten better about his stutter over the years. It definitely wasn’t as bad as it had been when they were kids, but it got pretty iffy when the other got frustrated.

Richie delayed answering by stepping back under the spray and rinsing the soap from his hair. His hands ran over his face, feeling the scruff that had been working itself up since he’d been kicked out for good. He just didn’t have money to buy razors. Sometimes Eddie or Stan forced him to clean it up, shoving their own supplies his way. He had to pretend he wanted this scratchy thing on his face, otherwise it’d look suspicious.

He stepped back out of the spray, his eyes meeting Bill’s where the boy had situated himself on the bench next to his bag. “It was stupid. Something about money and cereal, I don’t really know. Don’t worry about it, he’ll go right back to ignoring me once I get home today.” He gave a soft grin.

“If you s-say so.” Bill shrugged.

“I know so. So, Billy Boy, what brings you to school early today?” Richie asked, trying to lighten the mood as he washed his body with his shampoo.

“S-stan wanted to meet early t-to study for the h-history test. I got h-here before him.” Bill told him.

Richie nodded, rinsing himself off under the spray. “Throw me a towel, would you?” He asked Bill as he turned off the water. Bill tossed him a towel from the clean rack before sitting back down. “So, how are you and Stanley doing, hm?” Richie asked, shit-eating grin on his face as he toweled himself off.

“I d-don’t k-know what you’re t-talking ab-bout.” Bill said all too quickly.

“You don’t fool me for a second, Big Bill. Say, just how big are-”

“B-beep beep, Richie.”

Richie huffed, “I swear, you guys are getting so stiff in your old age…at least something is.” He got his last jab in with a cocky grin as he tucked the towel around his waist and moved to his bag. He dug around, before pulling out his toothbrush and toothpaste, and moved to one of the sinks.

He ignored the looks Bill was giving him as he scrubbed his teeth and tongue, finally ridding the last remnants of the salty taste out of his mouth. The only thing he needed now was a cigarette, and he’d be good for the rest of the day.

His stomach rumbled a bit, reminding him he probably needed to eat something… he’d just wait until lunch.

After rinsing out his mouth and shoving his toothbrush and toothpaste back into his bag, he pulled his clean clothes out. Without so much as a glance at Bill, he let his towel drop.

“F-fuck. Seriously, R-rich?” Bill grumbled, shielding his eyes as if the sun was shining right into them.

“I know it’s big, but don’t act like you’ve never seen a dick Billy Boy.” Richie passed a wink at his friend, before tugging clothes on piece by piece. By the end of it he was in his favorite pair of ripped jeans, a comfy black t-shirt, and his usual converse. He shoved everything back into his bag and headed out of the locker room, knowing the other was following behind.

“So when’s Stan getting here?” Richie asked, as he lead the way out of the gym and back to the parking lot.

“H-he should be here s-soon.” Bill spoke, taking slightly longer strides to catch up with Richie. Richie, Mike, and Bill were the tallest of the group. Bill definitely had Richie and Mike by a few inches, but Stan by about a head. Ben was next when it came to height, and at the end were Beverly and Eddie, standing at the same height of 5′4.

“Speak of the Devil,” Richie commented, nodding towards Stan’s car, in which the lanky boy was unfolding himself out of. “Stan the Man! How ya doin’ this morning?” He called to the other.

Stan rolled his eyes, seemingly already tired of Richie’s antics for the day. He didn’t even bother responding as he picked his backpack up and shut his car door. “Hey Bill.”

Richie scoffed, and held a hand to his chest, “I know you guys are like dating now or something, but you don’t have to act like I’m not here, Stanley!”

Stan raised a single eyebrow, “Where’s Eddie?” He asked, not commenting on the others words.

“Y-yeah, shouldn’t you b-be there by now?” Bill looked to Richie.

“That’s where I’m headed. I’ll be back with everyone’s favorite doctor-in-training in promptly five minutes!” Richie hopped away from the other two and back to his truck. He unpacked his backpack, leaving only school supplies, and shut his back seat. He got in the front and started up the engine, hand reaching instinctively for the cigarettes that wouldn’t be there in the center console. He puffed out a breath and pulled out of the parking lot to start his journey to Eddie’s house.

* * *

“Why’s your hair wet?”

“Hello to you too, Eds.”

The two boys held each other’s eyes for a moment, before Eddie got into Richie’s truck, tossing his bag onto the floor board.

“No cigarettes this morning?” Eddie asked snidely, as Richie drove away from his house.

“Not yet. I was going to snag one from Bev when we get to school, I’m out.” Richie adjusted his glasses, pushing them further up his nose.

Eddie didn’t comment in it, and instead turned to stare out the window.

“You alright, Eds?” Richie asked in the silence.

“Yeah, it’s just this new pill I’m on. It’s making me tired.” The smaller boy explained, reiterating the fact with laying his head against the window.

Richie raised his eyebrows at that. “What’s it for?”

As if not expecting such a question, Eddie sat up straight and looked at Richie. “It’s uh…not important. J-just something my mom is making me take, you know. Gazebos and all that bullshit.”

Richie pressed his tongue to his cheek. He didn’t believe Eddie for one second, but he wasn’t going to push him. Especially since it was obviously doing something to him.

They were back in the parking lot within minutes and both were out of the truck. They headed to the usual meet up spot, where Stan and Bill were sitting and talking in low voices. It immediately stopped when Richie and Eddie walked up.

“Oh, don’t stop whispering sweet nothing’s to each other on our behalf. We’ll just go over there and do the same.” Richie grinned, tossing an arm over Eddie’s shoulders. He must’ve been really tired, because he didn’t bother shrugging it off.

“W-we were just talking about the b-battle of-”

“The battle of tongues? I knew you guys were into each other!” Richie cheered.

“Beep Beep, Richie.” This came from Eddie, voice tired, as he finally shoved the other’s arm off of his shoulders and flopped down into a sitting position next to the other two losers, uncaring his khaki shorts were on green grass.

“We were actually talking about you. Bill’s worried.” Stan said, shuffling some papers in his lap, before placing them back into the folder they belonged in.

“Bill’s worried? Why?” Richie looked to the other male, “I’m perfectly fine! Although a little upset that Stan isn’t worried too.”

“What’s Bill worried about?” A nice soprano twinkled in Richie’s ears, and he turned to greet his best friend by wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Bill’s worried about me. Can I bum a-” Before Richie could even finish the sentence, a cancer stick was shoved between his lips by small fingers. He grinned around the filter and took it from his lips to press a kiss to Beverly’s cheek.

“My goddess, my love, thank you.” He accepted her lighter as well and was quick to light up the cigarette, arm still hanging around her waist.

“So why is Bill worried about Rich?” Beverly asked, looking towards the three boys on the ground.

“H-he just seems different. H-he’s been fighting with his parents a l-lot more than usual.” Bill started.

“ _He_ is right here.” Richie reminded, flicking away bits of ash from the end of his sanctuary.

“You’ve been fighting more?” Bev looked to Richie with this question,  and before the lanky boy could even respond, he was being pushed away from the red haired beauty.

“Hands  _off_ the goods.” Mike bellowed, putting his own arm around the girl’s waist.

“Good morning to you too, Mike. And where is number three?” Richie righted himself quickly, and looked around for Ben.

“C’mon, Richie. Lighten up on them.” Eddie spoke. The boy was now leaning heavily against Stan, who at this point was just letting it happen.

“You walk in on Beverly taking two dicks and a-”

“Beep Beep, Richie!” Beverly called, punching the boy in the arm.

Richie winced and rubbed the sore spot, “I wasn’t making a joke! I was telling the truth!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairings : Eventual Reddie with hints of Stenbrough and mentions of Bikeverly (Ben/Mike/Bev)
> 
> Warnings : Pot smoking teens, bad puns, and lots of beverie/bichie love
> 
> AN : This is more of a fluffy chapter, just to work you all up before a downfall. The next chapter is probably going to really upset some people, so enjjoy the flUFF. Keep in mind that all of the characters are 18/19 at this time, and in their senior year of high school. The characters in no way have any relation to the child actors that have portrayed them. IT does not belong to me, however if it had I would’ve changed a lot of things in the book.

_Word Count : 2181_

“So be honest with us, Bill. How are things going with Stan?” **  
**

“W-why do you b-both think t-that there’s s-something going on with S-s-stan?” Bill sighed.

“Because any time one of us mentions him you get nervous.” Bev smirked.

Richie tilted his head back and released a lungful of smoke slowly, watching it trail from his lips. He was, of course, interested in the conversation, but he was far more into the curling pattern the smoke had as he softly blew out his breath.

They were hotboxing the hell out of his car.

Beverly took the joint from Richie’s fingers and took a hit off of it, still looking at Bill expectantly.

“Seriously, Billiam. The jig is up, we know you’re  _suuuuuper_ into Stanley. And it’s okay. He’s  _cute_.” Richie turned a bit to face the other two. He was sitting in the driver’s seat, Bev was in the back and leaning on the center console, and Bill was sitting in the passenger seat, his back against the window.

“O-okay,” Bill sighed, closing his eyes for a minute. Richie knew the other boy was already getting contact high, pretty much the point of hotboxing his truck, but the other still took a drag once Bev passed it over. “Okay. I like S-stan.” His voice was thick with the exhale.

“You say that as if we don’t already know.  _Details_ , man!” Beverly cheered.

Bill handed the joint back over to Richie, who took it with no problem and sucked in another large breath of the muck.

“T-there’s really not a l-lot to tell. I j-just like him and that’s all.” Bill shrugs.

“ _Boooring_.” Richie hands the joint to Beverly, and shifts in his seat again, fully facing the two of them with his long legs spreading across the center console, feet landing in Bill’s lap. “You’ve gotta make a plan, Bill.  _Woo_ him. I’m sure he likes you back, you just gotta talk to him about it.”

Bill rolls his eyes a bit, but allows Richie to keep his feet where they are, his hands moving them into a more comfortable placement for himself. “I don’t k-know how to ‘ _w-woo_ ’ anything. I’m n-not exactly  _good_ at this k-kind of thing.” He looked between Bev and Richie, as if searching for answers.

“We know, Bill. I definitely remember how things were with you and Bev back in the good ol’ days.” Richie teased, although for once he was trying to be nice about it. He just wanted to help Bill out.

“Oh c’mon, he wasn’t  _that_ bad.” Bev shoved Richie’s arm.

By this time, Richie was having his turn with the joint, so he flipped her off and passed it back to Bill rather than her.

“Just talk to him about birds or something. He’s not that difficult. I mean, he totally has heart eyes for you.” Richie told him.

“Well w-what about you and Eddie?” Bill countered, “You t-two have been p-pining after eachother f-f-for years. D-don’t tell me it’s n-not that d-difficult.”

Richie scowled, and shook his head, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Eddie and I are just friends, just like I am with everyone else. And I’ve made out with Bev before, so that makes her even more likely to be the person I have feelings for, which is no one.” He pulled his feet out of Bill’s lap, all of a sudden uncomfortable. The air in the truck was becoming to thick and hot.

Talking about Eddie like that always made him feel strange. He knew better than anyone that he had feelings for the short male of the group, but it wasn’t something he could deal with. It wasn’t something he could face, not now.

“ _Everyone’s_ m-made out with B-Bev, Richie.” Bill pointed out, earning himself a smack from the girl this time.

“Not everyone! I haven’t kissed Stan yet!” Bev pointed out.

“Y-yet?” Bill asked.

“When did you kiss Eddie?” Richie followed up, brow furrowed.

“Yet, as in probably never because Mike would kick both my ass, and Stan’s ass. And I kissed Eddie one time at one of our sleepovers. Spin the bottle with one girl isn’t so much fun.” Beverly laughed a bit, taking the last drag from the joint before snuffing it out against the bottom of her boot.

“Oh right. I’ve pretty much blocked that whole experience out of my mind.” Not that Richie had a problem with kissing dudes, obviously, it’s just that he didn’t look at Ben in that way, and it was a lot easier to forget the whole thing happened than to think about it.

“Because _t-two_  people kissed Eddie and n-n-neither one w-were you?” Bill grinned.

Richie scrunched his nose up at that. It was probably a reason he blocked it out too, but now that they were talking about it he definitely remembered Eddie being kissed by both Bev and Stan. “Look, I’m just glad we didn’t take more than one turn each. Kissing Ben was more than enough for me that night.” He felt lucky that no one’s bottle had landed on him.

“Stop acting straight. Your dick curves two ways, Tozier.” Bev snickered.

Richie only nods his head at that, “ _Three_ , if you count Eddie’s mom.”

“Beep beep, Richie!”

“He’s not even here!”

* * *

Richie woke up the next morning, his back surprisingly not aching as it had been lately. But then he remembered that he’d crashed at Bill’s place. They’d spent most of the night coming up with a plan for Bill to use on Stan, Beverly leaving around 2 A.M. when Ben picked her up. He rolled over in the detergent smelling sheets, and threw an arm over his still-sleeping friend.

“R-richie I swear to _G-God_ -”

“Shh…don’t ruin the moment, Billy.” Richie nuzzled his face into the side of Bill’s neck, nose pressing tightly against the skin.

Bill didn’t say anything after that, just accepted the cuddling by wrapping his own arms around the thinner male. Bill stared up at the ceiling, his thoughts running wild as his brain became more and more awake.

“Woah, calm down there. I can hear your heartbeat all the way up here.” Richie’s voice was still thick with sleep, as his thumb brushed back and forth against Bill’s side.

Bill stayed silent for longer, not responding to Richie’s words, but still thinking. Richie didn’t push him to share his thoughts either, but his eyes shifted to the alarm clock situated on Bill’s nightstand. They still had quite a while before they needed to be up to get ready for school. Richie was just used to waking up early at this point.

“W-will you tell m-me what’s going on, R-rich?” Bill finally spoke, a strong swallow following his words.

Richie was the one to stay silent then. He licked his lips in thought, tongue slightly brushing against Bill’s neck, making the taller boy flinch a bit.

“D-don’t try to seduce m-m-me out of t-this convers-sation.” Bill warned.

Richie snorted a laugh, and tightened his grip around Bill’s waist.

“I’m not trying to seduce you, Bill. I don’t have to try anything like that. I’m seductive  _without_ trying.” He was trying to steer the conversation away from talking about his situation at the moment. He was horribly bad at keeping things from Bill when the other explicitly asked.

“Richie.” Bill sighed, “S-seriously, I k-know something’s up. And I’m n-not going to p-p-push you, b-but it’s always better t-to talk about it. You’re j-just worrying the s-shit out of me and B-Bev.”

Richie still didn’t respond, and closed his eyes, nuzzling his face further into Bill’s neck. “You guys don’t need to worry. I’ve got it all under control.” his voice held promise, even though he didn’t feel super under control.

“You c-can always tell me things, Rich.” Bill smoothed his hand down his friends back.

“I know,” Richie did know. Bill and Bev were his absolute best friends. Of course, he was close to all of the losers, but Bill and Bev were the two he always went too when he needed something. Them, and Eddie of course, but he was trying to bother the shorter boy less and less, as if it would make his feelings go away.

“I know. Now let’s get ready so you can impress the shit out of Stan, you stud.” Richie pressed a sweet kiss to Bill’s neck, before patting his stomach and hopping out of bed.

* * *

“He th-thrusts his f-f-fists against the posts and s-still insists he sees the g-ghosts…H-he thrusts his f-fists ag-ainst the p-posts and still insists he sees the g-ghosts…He thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the g-ghosts…”

Richie wanted to  _shove_ a sock in Bill’s mouth. He understood the other was nervous, rightfully so, but he was tired of hearing the old tongue twister over and over. It was endearing at first, as it was something he hadn’t heard in ages, but after the first twenty times it was getting really old.

“He thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts…”

“Look at that, Bill! You’ve got it! Now stop worrying. Besides, Stan thinks your stutter is cute.” Bev told Bill from Richie’s other side. They were sitting in the normal waiting spot, just the three of them, waiting for Stan to show up. Richie had called the bird lover that morning and asked him to pick up Eddie for him so that he could help Bill feel more mentally prepared…but he didn’t even give Stan any time to question it.

“H-he does?” Bill asked, a little wide eyed.

“Of course!” Bev grinned.

“There he is.” Richie was the first to see Stan’s car roll up, and the three of them stood.

“C-can I b-back out?” Bill asked, shoving his suddenly shaking hands into his pockets.

“No, now go behind the tree.” Bev pushed him softly, before bending over to pick up one of the poster boards they’d worked on last night.

The whole thing was rather cheesy, and mostly Beverly’s idea, as most of Richie’s had been shot down completely, but Richie knew Stan would like it anyways. Both poster boards were white, but littered in pictures of Stan and Bill, random doodles the three did, and pick up lines that involved birds.

“Bill’s just making it harder for you when you ask out Eddie. It can’t be just anything simple, Rich.” Bev teased him.

Richie rolled his eyes, and bent over to pick up his own poster board. “I’m not into Eddie. I don’t know why you all keep saying that.” He was into Eddie, he just didn’t have the stability to be into Eddie. Eddie deserved better than someone sucking guys off for cash.

“Bill’s right. Something is off about you.” Bev commented, before turning towards the parking lot and holding up her sign. “Just try to act normal for a little bit, at least. For Bill.”

Richie would do anything for Bill. And she was right. This was Bill’s time. So, he plastered a cocky grin onto his face, and held up his sign.

“Stanley Uris!” Richie called as the two boys walked up. “You’ve been  _robin_ my heart!” Richie read line off of his board.

“Hey boy, you’re  _owl_ I need!” Bev continued.

“Just like  _flamingos_ and  _penguins_ , I’ve found my mate for life!” Richie was trying to play along, but dear god was this too much for him.

“Our bond is so rare it should be above  _Crested Ibis_  on the endangered species list!” Bev put her poster down, and felt the actual need to grab Bill from behind the tree.

Richie couldn’t help it. He had to add in one they wouldn’t let him. He just had too. “You know what else tastes like  _chicken_? My co-”

“Beep beep, Richie!” Bill shoved the boy lightly as he now rushed forward. He didn’t want Stan to think that such a lewd joke was meant for him.

The boy took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, before he began rambling, trying to find the right words to say. “S-so…we’ve been friends f-for a  _long_ time, and, you kn-know, friends sometimes turn into m-more than friends… I know that a l-lot of birds do mating c-calls, or dances, but seeing as I d-don’t really s-s-sing or dance, I went with the f-flashy technique…uh…Stan..w-w-will you b-be my-”

“It’s about fucking time.” Stan didn’t even give Bill a chance to finish his sentence before speaking, a large grin on his face as he stepped closer to the taller boy, wrapped him in his arms, and grinned.

“It’s about fucking time.” Beverly agreed.

Richie cheered loudly when Bill pulled Stan into a kiss, arms above his head. Cocky grin still plastered onto his face, he began showing off some of the doodles they’d done to Stan and Eddie, although in all of the excitement, no one noticed how pale Eddie was looking. Not until he fell over and hit his head on the curb.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairings : Eventual Reddie with hints of Stenbrough and mentions of Bikeverly (Ben/Mike/Bev)
> 
> Warnings : Slight noncon, mentions of sex, blood, crying, sadness
> 
> AN : This one is a little shorter than usual, mostly because I couldn’t push myself to do anymore. It just seemed wrong to continue after what happened at the end, it was a good stopping point. Keep in mind that all of the characters are 18/19 at this time, and in their senior year of high school. The characters in no way have any relation to the child actors that have portrayed them. IT does not belong to me, however if it had I would’ve changed a lot of things in the book.

_Word Count : 1776_

Snow white skin was tinted pink. Blush pink lips stained red, a smear of velvet evident against a pale cheek. **  
**

His body was sore. Aching in places he’d never imagined before. Richie’s never had sex before. Sure, he’s fooled around, everyone has, but sex had been a far off dream, and he’d never imagined he’d be on the receiving end.

He wasn’t going to lie and say he didn’t enjoy himself, because he had. He’d cummed all over the stiff sheets of the Derry Motel bed. He just felt guilty for enjoying himself. Felt guilty for his body’s natural reactions to the stimulus it had received.

“That was good.” Mr. Pickles had told him from the doorway of the bathroom. “I’m happy you finally wanted to do more.” The older male began pulling on his clothes.

Richie finally moved from his kneeling position on the bed and picked up his clothes as well, not even bothering to respond.

“I do have a question though,” The man spoke, as he buckled up his belt, “What’s with the cactus tattoo on your ass? It’s cute, don’t get me wrong, but I just want the story.”

Richie shrugged. It really didn’t have much meaning. His muscles screamed against him as he pulled his boxers on, along with his jeans shortly after, “It was just for fun.” He admitted, rubbing his hand across his face for the third time that night, effectively smearing more blood along his cheek and hand.

“You gonna be okay?” The man asked.

Richie nodded, and held out his hand for the money.

Mr. Pickles nodded to him as he left the room, and Richie shoved a few twenties into his pocket. He still hadn’t pulled his shirt on yet, because he knew he needed to wash his face before he left. He walked into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror for a moment.

He didn’t look happy and healthy anymore.

His eyes were sunken in, and he had dark bags to accompany the look. His skin was paler than usual, making the smattering of freckles along his nose and cheeks look darker. His cheekbones and collar bones were more pronounced, he knew he’d lost some weight. His hair was growing out too much, which he didn’t mind, but he knew it bugged the shit out of Stan and Eddie, especially with how curly and crazy it was right after it was washed. The scruff on his face was starting to really bother him too, and he prayed for a day he could have a clean face again.

Richie turned on the sink and licked his lips, the coppery taste of blood overflowing his senses. He hadn’t noticed it before, but he’d bitten his lip so hard he busted it. He washed the blood off the back of his hand first, before leaning into the sink to wash it off of his face.

When he pulled back to look at himself, his lips were still dark, but the bottom one was also still bleeding. That wasn’t a huge deal. His cheeks were rid of their pink tint, and he felt like maybe he would make it through the night.

* * *

Richie Tozier strode up the steps of the Derry Medical Center, a bouquet of flowers in hand. He knew Eddie wasn’t going to be super fond of them, but he was bringing them anyways. He’d used almost all the money he made the night before for the flowers. Eddie needed some cheering up. They all did.

“Heya, Rich.” Bev’s voice was soft, as Richie came into the room. He placed the flowers in an open vase, and took the seat next to Eddie’s bed that had just been vacated by the girl.

“He wake up yet?” He kept his voice soft too, even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to wake the boy up.

Beverly shook her head, and pressed a hand to her lips. “They wouldn’t tell me much more than it had something to do with the new medication he’s on. I asked if it was a side effect, or what, but they wouldn’t tell me.” She sat down in one of the chairs across the room, and folded one leg over the other.

Richie nodded, and pressed his lips together when the bottom one began to quiver. “I can’t believe this.” He sighed, taking Eddie’s hand in his, and licking his chapped lips.

“Did you get into a fight with someone?” Bev asked.

Richie looked at her with a confused expression, before she pointed to her own lips.

“No, I just got really upset, kinda chewed a lot.” He lied easily, before looking back at Eddie. He reached up and pushed some of the boys hair back, before returning his hand to the others. Eddie’s fingers were cold, and he didn’t like that.

“I’ll leave you alone with him for a while. Ben and Mike are coming up here in a bit, so I’ll just wait for them outside.” Beverly stands from her seat, and comes over to kiss Richie on the cheek, before leaving the room.

Richie sighs heavily. Being alone with the comatose boy was hard. They said he should wake up soon, which was good, but it had only been two days since he fell. Richie could still feel the sticky blood between his fingers as he held the boy on the way to the hospital. The whole thing had been pretty traumatic, he wasn’t even sure Bill had come to see Eddie yet. For some reason, the boy blamed himself.

Richie sort of blamed himself too.

He should’ve been there to pick up Eddie, not Stan. He should’ve noticed Eddie looked sick. He should’ve had faster reflexes. He should’ve caught him when he fell. He should’ve pushed him to say what the damn medicine was, what it was for.

Because now his sweet little Eddie was in a coma. He had a large gash on his forehead that was sure to scar. He was missing class, and Richie knew how much Eddie hated missing class. When the boy woke up, he was going to be upset.

“We need to start being more honest with each other. All of us.” Richie said softly, brushing his thumb across Eddie’s fingers. “No matter how much it hurts. So when you wake up, you’re going to tell me what you’re on, and why you’re on it. I don’t care how long it takes me to drag it out of you.” He lifts Eddie’s hand to his lips, and presses a soft kiss to it. “And I’m going to tell you that I got kicked out, and we’re…we’re going to figure it out, because you always figure things out for me, Eddie, you always do.” Richie couldn’t stop the onslaught of tears at this point, silent sobs racking his body.

“I’m sorry, I sh-shouldn’t’ve been pushing you away. I shouldn’t’ve been convincing myself that you deserve better than me. I shouldn’t’ve been acting different and I’m so sorry, Eddie.” He wasn’t even crying for just the boy anymore, he was crying for himself. He was allowing himself to feel all the pain he’d been denying. It was all coming down on him, way too hard.

“Come stay with me.”

Richie looked up, and dropped Eddie’s hand to wipe tears away from his burning cheeks. “W-what?” Richie asked.

“C-come stay with m-me, Rich.” Bill told him, walking into the room.

* * *

That night, Richie stayed with Bill as asked. They hadn’t said one word to each other about what Bill had heard in the hospital room, but Richie still wasn’t sure how much he had heard. His anxiety was bad pretty much any time he and Bill had been left alone after that.

And now they were sitting in Bill’s room, getting ready for bed. Richie tossed off his shirt and grabbed a pair of Bill’s sleep pants. He winced a bit pulling them on, a movement Bill didn’t miss.

“W-what’s wrong, Richie?” He asked from his spot on the bed, looking every bit fatherly with his arms crossed over his chest, and a disappointed look on his face.

“Nothing, Bill. I’m fine. Must’ve just slept wrong.” Richie grinned a bit, a slightly awkward chuckled leaving his lips as he pulled himself on the bed.

“And where have you been s-sleeping?” Bill shifted, looking more towards Richie.

Richie thought that Bill suddenly seemed a lot more intimidating. His stutter was barely there at the moment, and Richie knew that only happened on really special occasions. “In my bed, of course. Where else, Billiam?” He teased, although he pretty much knew he was done for at this point.

“You mean your c-car? Or h-have you been sleeping on park b-benches? Or maybe just on the ground?”

Richie looked down at his hands, not wanting to face Bill at this point. He sniffed, his eyes stinging with tears already. “My car, mostly.” He admitted, picking at his nails.

Bill didn’t speak for a moment, “How long, Richie? How l-long have you been sleeping in your car?” Bill’s voice was starting to sound broken, and Richie immediately regretted never telling his best friends that he’d been kicked out.

Richie sniffed again, and he licked his lips, “About two months now… They kicked me out, and I snuck back in to pack up my clothes and get my money stash. I’ve been showering at school…and washing my clothes at the laundromat…and I ran out of money about a month ago a-and…” He needed to tell Bill everything, he knew he did. But doing it, and telling someone he looked up to that he had done something of the sort…it was two different things.

“And w-what, Richie? What h-have you been doing for money? I’ve s-seen you with some.” Bill’s voice was sounding shakier and shakier by the minute.

Richie couldn’t look him in the eyes. He didn’t know if Bill was thinking better things than he had to say, or worse. “I’ve been h…” The words caught in his throat, and he felt sick all over again. He swallowed around the bile that was rising in his throat.

“Richie..no..” Bill crawled closer to the other, and pulled him into his arms.

The tears started again, full force. “I’m s-so sorry, Bill. I needed the money a-and I couldn’t think of anything else…It was supposed to be easy, temporary…no one was supposed to know about it.” He was blubbering into Bill’s neck at this point, snot and tears coating the others shirt.

“It’s okay R-rich…It’s okay…”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairings : Eventual Reddie with hints of Stenbrough and mentions of Bikeverly (Ben/Mike/Bev)
> 
> Warnings : Nothing, really.
> 
> AN : This one is also shorter than usual. The next arc is very sad and pretty much I couldn’t ruin the lil Reddie tidbits here. Keep in mind that all of the characters are 18/19 at this time, and in their senior year of high school. The characters in no way have any relation to the child actors that have portrayed them. IT does not belong to me, however if it had I would’ve changed a lot of things in the book.

_Word Count: 1619_

For the past two weeks Richie has been staying at Bill’s place, essentially he’s moved in at this point. Bill’s parents have definitely noticed the two boys coming home and leaving together every day, but have yet asked much about it. Richie appreciated that. A lot.

Richie started doing the dishes after dinner and mowing the lawn on the weekends, and all of his free time has been spent at the hospital, holding a pale boys cold hand and waiting for him to wake up.

He was there more often than anyone else.

And really, the only reason Sonia Kaspbrak wasn’t constantly at her son’s bedside was because Richie was. She couldn’t stand him, but she also couldn’t make him leave. So she stayed with him during school hours, and Richie and the others were there the rest of the time. She may have hated Richie to the core, but they had an understanding. They both really cared about her son.

It’s not like he minded being the one that was there all the time. He didn’t mind being alone with Eddie at all. When the boy woke up Richie was going to tell him how he felt, because he couldn’t take this anymore. He couldn’t take pretending and distancing himself.

He was currently sitting in the hospital next to Eddie’s bed, biology book in his lap and pencil in hand. He was trying to keep his grades up, regardless of everything. He needed to graduate. Bill was sitting in the chair across the room, and they were quietly sharing answers back and forth, trying to make sure they had the same ones.

“Photosynthesis?”

“Yeah.”

Other than that it was quiet, if you didn’t think too much into the loud beeping of Eddie’s heart monitor, because Richie was doing his best to not.

Richie sucked in a deep breath and released it, turning his head a moment to look at Eddie for a second, before looking back at his book.

But then his mind registered what he saw.

His head whipped right back to the boy, textbook and all clattering onto the floor as he stood.

“Eddie?” Richie whispered.

When he’d turned his head to look at the sickly boy, his eyes had been open, and trained on Richie with a confused look on his face.

“Since when do you fucking do homework?” His voice was weak, rough from weeks of not using it.

Richie couldn’t even find it in him to say anything back. He just broke down, falling to his knees next to the bed and holding the boy’s hand in both of his. He pressed his face to the boys hand, tears streaming down his cheeks and silent sobs racking his body.

“I didn’t think you were going to wake up.” Richie whispered suddenly.

Bill finally came to his own senses and left the room to grab a doctor.

“Fucking hell, Eds…God…” Richie couldn’t even make anything real come out of his mouth. He just sat there, cheek pressed to the boy’s hand as he stared into chocolate orbs he never thought he’d see again.

“It’s okay, Richie.” Eddie finally spoke again, and Richie could only imagine the boy’s throat must hurt.

“I’ll…go get you some water.” He pressed a kiss to Eddie’s hand, and stood to leave the room as the doctor came in to check on him.

Richie let them by and walked out of the room, sniffling all too loudly. He headed down the hall to the nurses station and told them he needed some water, and they brought him back a cup of ice and some water. Richie rushed back to the room, but stood off to the side. He didn’t want to get into anyones way while they were doing checkups.

“Seems like you’re doing fine, Mr.Kaspbrak. We will notify your mother you woke up and that she can take you home tomorrow.”

Eddie nodded, not really wanting to talk anymore.

Richie stepped up once the doctor started to leave. He poured the water into the cup and handed it over to Eddie, who took it gratefully and sipped from the straw.

“So what happened?” Eddie asked.

Richie moved to sit back next to him, and Bill sat on the edge of Eddie’s bed, near his feet.

“What’s th-the last thing you r-remember?” Bill asked.

“Stan showing up at my house instead of Richie. After that it’s all black.” Eddie told them, sipping from his water some more.

“Well, you’re in for a treat then. Billy asked Stan out, and it was pretty cute…until you passed out.” Richie told him, reaching over to take his hand again because he just couldn’t help himself.

“Sorry I ruined it. Did he say yes?” Eddie asked, looking back to Bill.

“Yeah, yeah h-he did.” Bill nodded.

“So..you need to tell us what’s going on, Eds. We can’t help you if we don’t know.” Richie pleaded, squeezing Eddie’s hand.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, okay? I’m exhausted, my head hurts, and I’m upset I’ve missed so much school.”

“Okay.” Richie nodded, he understood. He knew everyone would too.

“…I’m glad you finally shaved. You were starting to look like a homeless person.”

* * *

With Eddie back at school, things were starting to really look up. However, Richie was more of a pain in the ass than usual to the short boy. Following him to all of his classes, carrying his bag and books for him, carrying his lunch, basically babying him hardcore.

At first, Eddie really didn’t mind it. He enjoyed the sudden attention from the other boy after pretty much being cut out of his inner circle a few months ago. But Richie was really starting to get annoying. He was always around.

And that was fine.

If he wasn’t being so protective.

“Hey fucker, you’re walking too close. Five feet.”

He was especially rude in the hallways when it was boys coming too close.

For the first week, people were trying to come around and give him well wishes, which he liked. It made him feel important. And he had appreciated Richie’s guard dog stature then because he didn’t want to hug a bunch of people whose names he barely knew…

Anyways, he was getting off topic here.

He was sick of it. Sure, he got hurt. Sure, he was in a coma for a few weeks. Sure, no one knew what happened yet. But he was Edward Kaspbrak. He could take care of him damn self.

So on a Wednesday, a full week after he started back at school, Eddie decided to put a stop to things. Richie parked his truck  in front of Eddie’s house, and moved to get out, but Eddie stopped him with a soft hand.

“Can we talk really quick?” Eddie asked.

Richie nodded, and sat back in the car. Another thing that was different was how quiet Richie had been lately. He barely cracked jokes. Eddie didn’t know if there was something else going on, but no one seemed to be telling him anything that was particularly stressing if they didn’t have too.

“I need you to stop treating me like I could break any second. I’m not porcelain, okay? I know I fainted and…and I know it was really scary for you guys, but you all, you especially, need to cool it.” Eddie was trying his hardest to be nice about it all but it wasn’t the easiest thing.

“I mean…can you just…why are you so…” Eddie couldn’t even form sentences anymore.

Richie worried his bottom lip between his teeth, his fingers brushing through his curls. He didn’t know what to say or what to do at this point. He didn’t know how to react. He couldn’t just completely open himself up to Eddie before telling him about what he’d been doing for the past two months.

“I…I’m in love with you.” Richie admits, a bit quietly. “But…and I’m not assuming you feel the same way, but we can’t be together until…until we talk about somethings.” He was defeated at this point. Richie Tozier could no longer hide his feelings for Eddie Kaspbrak.

Needless to say, Eddie was not expecting those words to come from the Trashmouth.

“I…okay…Then let’s talk.” Eddie told him.

* * *

Richie felt disgusting all over again. For the past few weeks he had been feeling clean. He felt like he could breathe again. Sure, none of it was particularly easy to have on his mind, but his body felt fine. He didn’t feel like he was repulsive anymore.

But now he did.

The look on Eddie’s face was breaking his fucking heart. But he had to tell him. He had to tell him what he did, why he did it.

Eddie looked…well, Eddie looked like Eddie when he was confronted with germs. He hadn’t spoken yet, though, and Richie didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing.

“Why didn’t you just tell us?” Eddie asked, his voice cracking in the middle of his sentence.

“You were all…Everyone has things to deal with, Eds. This was just my thing to deal with. But I’m not doing it anymore. I’ve been staying with Bill, and I’ve been applying for real jobs…I’m trying to make my life better. I’m trying.”

Eddie visibly chewed on his cheek.

“Okay.” Eddie said.

“Okay what?” Richie asked, utterly confused.

“Okay, I have feelings for you too. But I’m not touching you until I know you’ve completely got all of…that out of your system.” He shuddered a bit.

“Really?” Richie asked, laughing a bit.

“Really.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairings : Eventual Reddie with hints of Stenbrough and mentions of Bikeverly (Ben/Mike/Bev)
> 
> Warnings : Cute shit, mentions of jizz, uhhhh, cute shit, uncomfortableness, slight harassment.
> 
> AN : Ayyyeee! So, as you can see, I’ve got it all worked out now and I know where the ending is placed. Things are still looking up in this chapter, but they’re gonna start going down again soon. Keep in mind that all of the characters are 18/19 at this time, and in their senior year of high school. The characters in no way have any relation to the child actors that have portrayed them. IT does not belong to me, however if it had I would’ve changed a lot of things in the book.

_Word Count: 1607_

Richie scowled softly at his plate of food. He’d been getting secret messages from Mr. Pickles for days now, asking to meet. It drove him nuts. And he was sure he’d find another one in his car door today. But he tried to push the thoughts away and enjoy his breakfast. With Bill. For the past few day’s he’d been staying there, sharing a bed with Bill. While he knew Bill didn’t mind it much, he also knew that he and Stan were well on their way to bone town, and he didn’t want to sleep in the same sheets that Stan had jizzed all over. **  
**

He pushed the food around on his plate. He was trying to figure out if he could really crash with someone else. Maybe Mike or Ben. He would ask Eddie, but they were still really early in their relationship, and he didn’t want to fuck it up. A soft sigh fell through his nose, and he finally brought the forkful of pancakes to his lips.

“What is it?” Bill asked.

“Nothing. I’m fine.“ Richie shrugged, forking a few more pancake pieces.

“Don’t lie, R-rich.” Bill nudged him.

“I just feel like…I don’t know. A bother? I don’t know.” Richie wasn’t a fan of talking about his feelings either way.

“We’ve packed up G-georgie’s room.” Bill spoke up.

“What? Why?” Richie looked up from his plate to Bill.

“We…we weren’t going to t-tell you until it’s all set up, but it’s…it’s been a l-long time. Georgie doesn’t need a room anymore. Plus, I know he wouldn’t mind sharing with you.” Bill smiled softly at him.

Richie felt like sobbing.

How could he have been so lucky to have a friend like Bill Denbrough? Not to mention how nice his parents had been to him. He felt like he belonged for once.

Richie launched himself at Bill, hugging him tightly. The taller male held onto him.

Richie hadn’t cried from happiness before.

* * *

They were holding hands. It’s not like they haven’t held hands before…it was just different now.

But, they were holding hands. Richie was happy. He was just grinning as the two of them sat side by side on Bill’s couch, their shoulders pressed together. His fingers stroked Eddie’s hand softly, because honestly he couldn’t believe things were beginning to turn up.

He couldn’t believe some higher being was allowing him to be happy.

It was short lived, though, because Eddie spoke over the movie that was playing.

“Cyclothymia,” He said, his body trembling slightly with the word.

“Cy-who now?” Richie replied, looking to his boyfriend.

“Cyclothymia. It’s like… it’s like manic depressive but less intense… I’ve been taking mood stabilizers, and when I passed out its because I had taken too much. It was an accident! But…that’s…that’s the deal.” Eddie stopped speaking for a moment, and looked up at Richie. “Is that okay with you?” His voice was small, as if he was expecting Richie to reject him.

“Of course it’s okay, Eds. Whatever’s going on in there isnt your fault. I accept all of you. I always have.” Richie softly brushed his fingers down the side of Eddie’s cheek.

Eddie choked on a sob. “I was so sure you would… You wouldn’t accept me and… this… us. We are so new I just needed to get it out of the way now. I knew that.” Eddie leaned forward, and their foreheads pressed together softly.

Richie gently brushed away a few tears that had slid down the other’s soft cheeks. “It might be too early to say this, but I really do love you, Eddie. We’ve been friends forever and it’s was hard to not fall in love with you, but I did. I fell hard. And nothing you say or do is going to change that, okay?”

“Okay.” Eddie nodded, their noses brushing together softly.

So Richie went in for it. Their first kiss. It was a little off. Eddie’s lips were salty with the tears Richie had missed, and he was trembling. But Richie wouldn’t have it any other way.

Because for the first time in a long time, he felt like he could finally breath. He felt like the weight on his chest was gone, and he was right where he was meant to be.

“I love you, too.”

* * *

It had taken them both another week, but Richie and Eddie took turns telling the losers everything. Richie about his prostitution and living in his truck, and Eddie about his cyclothymia.

The reactions weren’t what Richie was expecting. He wasn’t expecting the acceptance. He wasn’t expecting the sadness in their eyes. He was expecting disgust. He was expecting intolerance. He was expecting to get booted from the group.

But they accepted them. Both. And things just kept getting better and better.

Today the losers were getting together to fix up Richie’s room in the Denbrough house. They were mostly helping pack up Georgie’s things, and unloading what little Richie had. He kept some of Georgie’s knick knacks on the windowsill, and Bill took a few for himself.

He was happy.

His room was set up. He could sleep in a bed that belonged to him again. Maybe not for long, but for now he was.

The household phone rang and Bev ran downstairs to answer it. A few moments later she called up the stairs. “Richie! It’s for you!”

With a quirked brow, Richie headed down the stairs. He took the phone from Bev, bumping his waist into hers.

“Yeah, hello?”

_“Heya, Richie. This is Derek from the ice cream parlor on Main. We’ve reviewed your application and have decided to welcome you onto our team. If you can come in tomorrow for training that would be great.”_

Richie was so startled by the words that he couldn’t get anything out at first. He was just staring at the wall in silence, because why was everything going so right? He was unsettled by the fact, but tried to push it all away with a grin.

“Yeah! Yes, totally! I will come in tomorrow for training!”

_“Awesome! See ya then, Rich!”_

The line went dead, and Richie turned to Bev as he hung the phone back on the wall. “I got the job.” He spoke, an actual smile curling onto his lips.

“What? What job?” Bev asked, her brow furrowed.

“Just, you know, a job.” He’d been applying at multiple places around town, but a lot of people didn’t want to hire a loudmouthed teenager with no experience.

“Well awesome, Richie! Awesome!”

* * *

“…and that’s pretty much it! Easiest job ever.” Derek knocked shoulders with him.

“You’re not wrong.” Richie grinned to his manager.

“Alright, you take this customer and I’m gonna grab a smoke. Just ding the bell if you need me.”

Richie nodded, and looked up at the customer who walked in with a bright smile.

Until he saw who it was.

And then he reminded himself.

He was working. He had to be nice.

“Welcome to Freese’s. Can I take your order?” He gave as nice of a grin as he could manage, but it wasn’t the easiest.

“Hey pretty boy.” Mr. Pickles grinned at him.

“Hello, sir. If you need more time feel free.” He needed to stay professional. He was not about to lose his job on the first day because of something like this.

“Oh, it’s sir now? I couldn’t get you to say that in class, or in the sack.” His large hands were resting on the counter, and Richie did his best to not shudder, remembering the way they’d felt on his body.

He really didn’t know what else he could say, so he just kept his mouth shut and his eyes averted, his own hands clenched into fists at his sides.

“So, you’re ditching me for this? Can’t believe you’d make more money here than with me.” His voice was awfully like gravel.

Richie swallowed hard.

“Holding your tongue now, huh? Alright… just go ahead and make me a strawberry milkshake.”

Richie rung him up, “Three seventy-five.” His voice quivered, and he made the mistake of looking up into the other’s eyes as he handed the money over.

Mr. Pickles had green eyes that were awfully piercing, something Richie didn’t notice until he’d started messing around with the older man. They were terrifying. They pinned him to his spot, and he couldn’t even thing to count any change back.

“Is there a problem here?”

Richie flinched, dropping the change onto the floor. His throat started clenching as he bent over on the floor to pick it up.

“No problem, I was just reminiscing with Mr. Tozier.” Mr. Pickles spoke up.

Richie handed over his change, and turned to begin making the milkshake.

“It definitely looked like that.” Derek said, although it didn’t sound convincing at all.

“He was a good student. Well, maybe not good, but he did well in gym.” Pickles grumbled.

“Here you go.” Richie handed over the milkshake, and did his best to not let his fingers brush Pickles.

But they did.

He recoiled as quickly as possible.

“I think you should leave, sir. You have your change and your milkshake.” Derek told him.

Richie was more than relieved when the man turned and stalked out without question.

“I’m not going to ask you what that was about, because it’s not my business, but if he comes back in here just holler for me. I don’t like the way he was looking at you.” Derek softly patted his shoulder.

“Thank you.” Richie nodded.

“Take it easy, kid.”


	6. Chapter 6

Other than random encounters with Mr. Pickles, and the notes he’d been leaving, things were still going well for Richie. He worked a lot when he wasn’t in school, and the losers would grab a booth and hang out when the rush was low. It was honestly good. He was getting good money and he was saving it up.

He also spent almost all of his free time with Eddie. The two of them were progressively getting closer and closer now that they both were being completely honest with each other. They shared soft kisses and held hands a lot, but rarely did it go past that.

They were both scared.

Eddie, mostly from the fact that Richie wasn’t a virgin, and Richie because he didn’t know how to do all of this without the forceful hand, and the need for money.

They often found themselves on the cusp of pushing past waistbands, but have always stopped themselves to cool off.

Richie had to admit, he loved making out with Eddie.

They did it a lot in his truck. It would start out across the center console, arms reaching for some sort of purchase against the other while lips melded in the middle. Then one or the other would end up crawling across it, and straddling the other’s lap.

Eddie had a habit of pulling his hair, which Richie loved.

Lots of grinding would happen, gasped moans would fill the space. And just as fingers would touch pants, it was like a switch was flipped, and they realized what they were doing.

But now, Richie had been tested. He was negative all the way through. He had a box of condoms, a bottle of lube, and he felt ready…even if they didn’t go all the way.

Tonight they were going on a date. Nothing too swanky.

Just them, a picnic, and a movie later in the night.

He had the basket packed up and in his back seat already, all he needed now was one boyfriend. He pulled to a stop in front of the Kaspbrak house, honking his horn loudly even though Eddie would berate him for it later.

“Dammit, Rich,” Eddie spoke, as he pulled himself into the truck,  “You’re only making it harder on me when you do shit like that. My mom already doesn’t like you.” He grumbled a few other choice words, before clicking his seat belt into place.

“Oh, don’t lie to yourself, Eds. Your mom definitely liked me last night.” Richie replied, cheeky grin on his face as he pulled away from the curb.

“You’re such a dick sometimes.” Eddie laughed, shoving Richie in the shoulder.

“You love it.” Richie shrugged.

LINE BREAK

The drive to the quarry was short, even though Richie took his sweet time. They both got out of his truck and settled on a blanket Richie had brought. He didn’t have a picnic basket, but he did pack their food in his backpack.

They munched on some pb&j’s and watched the clouds, making mostly small talk as they ate. Next came a bag of fresh, and yes, washed strawberries. Eddie laughed as Richie tried to throw the smaller ones into his mouth and missed, but it was quite impressive the few times he actually made it.

Eddie also blushed profusely when Richie fed him a few strawberries, but mostly because Richie’s cheeks were flushing a bit every time Eddie’s lips would brush his fingers. They were, all around having a good time. It was relaxing, the weather was nice, and it was just them for once.

The food was pushed aside and they both laid on the blanket, facing each other. Richie had his head propped up by his elbow, and his other hand was gently tracing lines on Eddie’s face. Richie smiled, a rather gentle smile. It wasn’t often he wasn’t flat out grinning, but this was different.

“What?” Eddie suddenly asked, tilting his head back a bit to press a kiss to the tip of Richie’s finger.

“Nothing…I’m just…happy.” Richie sighed, resuming his tracing of Eddie’s face.

“I’m happy too.” Eddie told him, and scooted a little closer.

“Yeah?” Richie asked, his smile turning into a smirk.

“Yeah.” Eddie responded, his voice a bit lower.

“Yeah?” Richie asked again, his eyes going half lidded as he closed the rest of the space between their bodies.

“Yeah.” Eddie gave again, before pressing their lips together softly.

It was a sweet, slow kiss. One that made Richie’s heart pound all too loudly in his chest as their tongues tangled in a delicate caress. His hand lifted once more to Eddie’s face, cupping it gently. His thumb swiped back and forth across the soft skin of his cheek.

Richie suddenly thought of the fact that Eddie probably couldn’t grow facial hair, and that was why his skin was so soft. Richie snorted a laugh into the kiss and Eddie pulled away with a frown.

“What?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Do you shave yet?” Richie teased, brushing his thumb over Eddie’s cheek once more.

Eddie scoffed, “Of course I shave, Richie.” However, he couldn’t keep himself from cracking a smile in response, and before they knew it the both of them were cracking up and holding their stomachs.

“Okay, okay..” Richie finally stopped, soft giggles emitting every once in awhile, though he tried to breathe through them and calm down. “I uh… I’m not saying this because I’m expecting anything, but I got tested and I’m clean… I also brought condoms and lube if it like…happens.” Of course, Richie wanted to be as vulgar as possible to make it seem like a joke, but he knew Eddie would only get more flustered.

Eddie seemed to sit for a moment in silence, all laughter leaving him in that moment. He pressed his lips together and looked to his lap, a soft blush creeping up his neck. “Richie, I-”

“It’s okay, Eds. I get it. I said it’s not..I mean, we don’t have to do anything.” Richie cut him off automatically, wanting the whole situation to be over.

“No… I was going to say I’m…I’m ready.” Eddie stuttered out slowly, looking up at Richie through his lashes.

“What? Really?” Richie asked, thoroughly shocked.

“I..yeah. Yes. Really.” Eddie nodded, wringing his hands in his lap.

“Are you sure? Because I’m not expecting anything Eds, and I-”

“I’m sure, Rich. Now shut up and get over here.” Eddie huffed, holding his hands out to Richie.

“Yes, sir.” Richie purred, crawling over to Eddie.

Their lips reconnected, this time a little more heated and sloppy. Richie was still as gentle as he could force himself to be, but Eddie was making it really hard to do it.

Eddie’s shirt was pulled off and Richie’s hands roamed the skinny boy’s body, loving the way his skin felt beneath his hands. They brushed further and further down until they met the belt of Eddie’s jeans. Richie was quick to unloop the belt, his mouth now working down Eddie’s neck.

The belt was tossed aside, and Richie pulled back to say something when pain exploded in the back of his head.

Eddie screaming “Richie!” was the last thing he heard before everything went black.


End file.
